Press Release

This afternoon, Scott Jensen proposed defunding public schools in an interview on MPR.

Jensen was asked, “Do you support more money for public schools or less money?”

“Less money,” Jensen replied, affirming his long-standing commitment to defunding public schools.

“Minnesota can’t afford to elect a governor who will defund our classrooms when they should be getting a lifeline,” said DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin. “Minnesotans can’t afford to replace an educator in the governor’s office with someone who will put extreme ideology over the needs of students.”

Before, during, and after his time in the Legislature, Scott Jensen has fought to deny public schools the resources needed to help students succeed.

• In 2011, Scott Jensen said that schools had to “share the pain” and led the campaign against a school funding referendum to help Waconia build new schools, which were desperately needed to reduce overcrowding – at the time, Waconia even had to put students in warehouse space

• Jensen opposed Governor Walz’s record investment in public schools in his 2021-2023 budget proposal. A Jensen administration would divert public school funds to private schools, doing nothing for school districts who would face drastic budget cuts

• While in the Legislature, Jensen and his Republican colleagues in the Senate put forward a budget that would have underfunded public schools so drastically that the superintendent of the Anoka-Hennepin school district said, “The Senate budget will be crippling”